360° CINEMA
GET YOUR GEECON
DR G YUNUPINGU
Darwin International Film Festival
At this video gamer's paradise
Remembering a beloved musical icon
SEPTEMBER
20 17
Celebrating 10Years in 2017
MUSIC
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PERFORMING ARTS
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VISUAL ARTS
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BOOKS & FILM
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CULTURE
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FOOD & DRINK
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COMMUNITY
Yo u r fre e what ’s o n g u i d e TO TH E TO P E N D
Supported by
PRESENTS...
DARWIN’S MUSICIAN SEARCH
Mindil Markets are showcasing darwin’s talented Musicians. searching for solo artists, duos, bands in any genre to perforM in our coMpetition.
HEAtS RUN SUNDAy 3RD - 10tH - 17tH SEPtEMbER fINAl SUNDAy 24tH SEPtEMbER
MAjoR PRIzE $1000
YEARS AT THE TOP Exhibition
Join the celebration of 10 years of Off The Leash. Take a step back in time at this exhibition of more than 100 Off The Leash covers featuring iconic Top End art, gigs and culture. Paul Johnstone Gallery SAT 23 SEP 10AM-3PM SUN 24 SEP 10AM-1PM pauljohnstonegallery.com.au offtheleash.net.au
MAGAZINE
PAID MINDIl PERfoRMANCE SPot IN 2018 Hot 100 lIvE RECoRDED SESSIoN
Apply via Mindil.com.au or phone 8981 3454
NORTHERN TERRITORY ARCHIVES SERVICE
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G A L L E RY DARWIN
INSIDE
OFFTHELEASH.NET.AU
/OTL.magazine
f you were planning to sleep off your August antics in September, you may need to think again. This month, the Darwin International Film Festival returns with a massive program of film from around the world. Guests include Aussie actor David Wenham, yidaki master Djalu Gurruwiwi and the festival’s first international guest, actress Aahana Kumra, will attend the screening of opening night film Lipstick Under My Burkha. Be sure to catch a flick inside the immersive Cinema 360°at the Darwin Waterfront – see page 4.
@OTLmag
F R OM T H E
r o t i d E
Festival fever is still running high in the Territory with Darwin’s first anime and video gaming festival, GeeCon – check out the cosplay comps, gaming tournaments and film screenings – see Around Town. The Desert Mob Festival returns to Alice Springs and the Disability Awareness Festival educates and empowers Top Enders – see Festivals. As the weather starts to warm up, head inside for comedy, drama, storytelling and burlesque. The Beat Festival, NT Music School’s performance spectacular, celebrates its 37th year – see Performing Arts.
#OTLmag
E: roslyn@offtheleash.net.au T: 088941 7413 GPO BOX 2325, Darwin NT 0801
September is the season for green mangoes. We took a closer look at the different varieties on offer and how to use them – see Food and Drink.
AROUND TOWn | 5 FESTIVALS | 7 Performing Arts | 8 FOOD & DRINK | 10 BOOKS & FILM | 15 YOUTH | 16 Word on the Street | 17 Visual Arts | 18 Music | 21 calendaR | PULL-OUT
If you’re looking for a quiet space to get some work done, monthly writing meet-up Write Here may be for you. For feedback on your work, check out the NT Writers’ Centre’s new online writing group – see Books and Film.
It’s been 10 years since Off The Leash (OTL) was launched onto the Darwin arts scene. We’ve been busy preparing a popup exhibition of OTL covers – all 108 – for your viewing pleasure. There’ll be copies of the mag so you can reminisce about the iconic gigs, festivals and events of the past. You may even find yourself buried in the pages – or starring on the cover! – see Visual Arts.
DESERT MOB | 7 IN BETWEEN TWO | 8
The loss of Australia’s most prominent Indigenous musician Dr G Yunupingu has left a great void in the hearts of those who knew him, and great sadness for those who loved his music. We reflect on his remarkable life and artistry. On Top End stages, muso Ted Egan performs 100 Years of Territory Songs and One Tropical Day returns with not one, but two big editions. Three of Australia’s most esteemed rock musicians, Tex Perkins, Don Walker and Charlie Owen, return to Darwin and the Darwin Symphony Orchestra’s Kids’ Classics continue – see Music.
NTEEN FASHION | 16 OTL is proudly supported by Roslyn Perry Managing Editor and Development Manager Rosa Ellen Editorial Assistant
Sarah Novinetz Graphic Designer
Liz Trevaskis Music Editor
Mike Frier Art Director
DARWIN
Distributed to remote Indigenous communities with the assistance of
@james_mangohig
@elise_derwin
@skinnyfish_music @stevehabibikelk
#dfest17 KEEPING THE VIBE ALIVE
@gweengirl
@stevehabibikelk @darwinfestival
Caroline from GYRACC rocks a skirt made of recycled OTL mags at Junk Fest
Cover proudly sponsored by Darwin International Film Festival. Cover image from Loving Vincent.
@growinguptroppo
Although care istotaken to ensure information in Off TheisLeash is correct, it is subject to change. We recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates. Although all careall is taken ensure information in Off The Leash correct, it is subject to change. We recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates.
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clockwise from top left: Cinema 360°, Darwin Waterfront; Black & Chrome Mad Max: Fury Road; Dark Universe, Cinema 360°; Westwind: Djalu's Legacy; Lipstick Under My Burkha
he organisers of the 2017 Darwin International Film Festival (DIFF) have scoured the world to bring us this year’s program, from the grand old Hong Kong International Film Festival, to the glitter of Tribeca in New York and the eye-opening Toronto Hot Docs. The result? A two-week celebration of cinema – the best drama, hidden stories, glorious cinematography and stirring real-life tales.
DIFF
“We want to show the diversity of the world and the huge variety of film culture going on,” says DIFF Director Tim Parish. “We’ve got a really strong focus on Asia this year and a strong ‘Indigenous vision’ theme. We’re also showcasing a range of Territory-made films as part of the Spark short film initiative. Another theme, 'Eurocentric', looks at the latest in European cinema.” The biggest new feature to this year’s DIFF is Cinema 360°, a pop-up 18-metre dome screen at the Waterfront precinct. Pioneered in the 1950s, dome screens have moved beyond educational planetariums and are now used to create truly immersive cinema. This will be an eye-opening cinematic experience for people of all ages, and is not to be missed.
DaRWIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Film lovers will also revel in DIFF’s audiovisual program, including silent film screenings with live music, while those in the industry should definitely check out the Australian Cinematography Awards and the range of extensive workshops. Special guest David Wenham will attend a live script reading of local TV shows-in-production News Junkies and Zero-Point. One of DIFF's hot picks is the highly anticipated Westwind, the story of famed yidaki player and Yolngu elder Djalu Gurruwiwi, who will also be a guest of the festival; Lipstick Under My Burkha star Aahana Kumra is DIFF's first international guest and will appear at the opening night screening of the film. Don't miss Australian David Wenham’s directorial debut Ellipsis, and if you loved the hell-bent action of George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, you’ll no doubt be revving to see the director’s special black and white edition. Dress up in your best armour and oily rags for the post-apocalyptic after party. As the official DIFF Festival Club, the Happy Yess will be a good place to air your thoughts on what you’ve seen and raise a toast to a thriving world of cinema.
lead actors in the film – invented the characters and came up with thematic ideas for the film. The next seven days we shot sequentially in real operating environments, with real people.
lives in seeps into one’s being. I wanted to explore this feeling, but through characters and a world where there are external restrictions to one’s freedom as well.
The film takes place over one night in Kings Cross, there must have been some unexpected characters?
by Rosa Ellen WHEN THU 14 – MON 25 SEP At VARIOUS LOCATIONS Info diff.net.au | diff_nt
Q&A with actor and director
David Wenham THE LAST TIME DAVID WENHAM WAS IN DARWIN WAS TO SHOOT BAZ LUHRMAN’S BLOCKBUSTER AUSTRALIA. This month the actor presents his film Ellipsis – and it couldn’t be more different. Ellipsis is experimental and shot on a micro-budget – how did you make it? It took 10 days from the inception of the idea, right through to the completion of the principal photography. Myself, Benedict Samuel and Emily Barclay – the two
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To celebrate and remember the remarkable life and artistry of Dr G Yunupingu, a special screening of a documentary will be held on the big screen at the Darwin Entertainment Centre.
There’s only two other actors beside the leads in the film. People who see it actually can’t work out who are actors and who are real. Some of those people change the whole direction of the film, so much so that I couldn’t invent it if I wanted to. Did the non-actors have a script? Most of it was improvised and 95 per cent of the film is one-take with two cameras. No rehearsal, straight into it. Read the full Q&A with David Wenham at offtheleash.net.au.
Ellipsis WHEN At COST
SAT 16 SEP | 7.15PM DECKCHAIR CINEMA $16 | $12 CONC | $10 MEMB | $8 CHILD
Q&A with director
Alankrita Shrivastava DIFF'S OPENING NIGHT FILM IS ALANKRITA SHRIVASTAVA’S HIT FEMINIST BLACK COMEDY LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA. The film was so shocking to some in India that it was threatened with non-classification by the country’s film certification board for being ‘lady oriented’ and containing ‘audio pornography,’ she told Off The Leash. Why did you want to make Lipstick Under My Burkha? As a woman living in India, I have often wondered why I don’t feel fully free. Even though I was brought up in a liberal family, with a liberal education, I think the society one
How did you feel when the Central Board of Film Certification tried to stop the film from being screened? Essentially the board was opposed to a film that tells stories from a female point of view. They viewed the film as a threat to patriarchy, and hence felt uncomfortable with it. For once the women were telling their own stories intimately. I think that scared them. What has been the feedback from the film – what has surprised you? The film has got a lot of love and support from across the world, and in India. People have really embraced the film – men and women – and that has been very heartening. It feels like the battle was really worth it. Read the full Q&A with Alankrita Shrivastava at offtheleash.net.au.
Lipstick Under My Burka WHEN At COST
THU 14 SEP | 7.15PM DECKCHAIR CINEMA $16 | $12 CONC | $10 MEMB | $8 CHILD
AROUND TOWN
Argentine Tango with Northern Tango’s
Q&A Kelly Hansen
Get Your
GeeCon
FOR SOME, DARWIN’S FIRST EVER GEECON (PRONOUNCED ‘GEEK-ON’) HAS BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.
The festival of anime, manga, cosplay and video games is expected to attract upward of 2000 people to the Darwin Convention Centre, where fans will throw themselves into cosplay competitions, gaming tournaments and film screenings. “I grew up when anime and video games were kind of booming,” says John Boholst, a GeeCon organiser. “When I came back to Darwin I thought I’d check out the Darwin convention, but there wasn’t any up here. I thought, ‘I’ll see if we can change that’.” The event is a fan-based festival, as opposed to a commercial convention like Comic-Con, where the stars of pop culture and comics are the focus.
Sarah Neuman as Hatsune Miku; image Tam Nguyen
“The main audience is people who like Japanese comics, which is manga and Japanese animation, which is anime, and video games, which we figured would be the biggest demographic in Darwin,” says Boholst. Nevertheless, GeeCon has managed to woo two international stars of the anime and gaming world to the festival, flying over US voice actors Sarah Williams and Paul St. Peter. Williams is famous for voicing the blue-haired, gleefully criminal Jinx in the video game League of Legends; while St. Peter has been voicing Japanese anime characters since the 1980s and is now a fixture in the video gaming world. Cosplay, where fans dress up as a favourite character in costumes they’ve made themselves, is probably the biggest drawcard. Darwin’s cosplay Facebook page has been
aflutter with costuming queries and pictures in the lead-up to the first major local competition. “Like a lot of geeky stuff, you don’t really talk about it. It’s something you do on your own. It’s not really something to you do to start a conversation with other people,” says Boholst. “But there are a lot of people into anime, even like my friends who are 30 to 40 years old, still reading comics and watching anime.” The early excitement of Darwin’s first GeeCon has meant that the organisers have raised their expectations for next year’s event, planning for fans from the Territory and beyond to get their GeeCon. WHEN At COST Info
SAT 30 SEP – SUN 1 OCT DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE $35 ONE DAY | $55 WEEKEND geecon.org.au
A SUPREMELY ELEGANT DANCE, TANGO IS FORMAL IN STYLE AND FASHION, BUT HUMBLE IN ITS ORIGINS. NORTHERN TANGO, Darwin’s small but dedicated dance community, was born 13 years ago by “two ladies who simply wanted to dance tango,” says organiser Kelly Hansen. It now runs a weekly practica, and a monthly social dance (milonga). This month visiting Argentine tango powerhouses Fabian and Karina Conca will add some serious style with performance, salons and even private lessons.
WORKSHOP Community Hall, join the workshops over the weekend, and finish with a delicious dinner and tango dancing at Club Tropical on Sunday night. What are the essential elements of tango? Argentine tango is an improvised social dance of walking, pivoting, changing of direction, axis and energy. A hugging embrace is the conduit for connection that allows both dance partners to co-create a beautiful, immersive dance.
Who are Fabian and Karina Conca? From Buenos Aires Argentina, Fabian and Karina Conca are thirdgeneration tango dancers raised in families steeped in the tradition. Their dance and teaching has a strong emphasis on elegance while maintaining a constant connection between the couple, reflecting their tradition and culture.
I hear that Tango is good for the mind also? It is considered by health care professionals to be an ideal exercise to benefit social, mental and physical wellbeing across the ages. Tango increases mobility, balance, stride length and core strength, provides social satisfaction, induces a state of flow, spirituality and mindfulness. Cognitive ability is also improved, as well as body awareness. It can help with diseases such as Parkinson’s and mental health issues such as depression.
And what will they be doing in their visit to Darwin? Fabian and Karina come to Darwin to present a weekend of authentic and elegant Argentine tango. See them perform on Friday night at Malak
WHEN At COST Info
Throwing on the Wheel
Silver 'Spinner' Ring in a Day
FRI 8 – SUN 10 SEP VARIOUS LOCATIONS $10 – $30 facebook.com/nthntango
WORK SHOPS tactileARTS
19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay 8981 6616 | tactilearts.org.au
The Art Of Mosaic
Suitable for beginners and intermediate levels, create a personalised piece of mosaic art for your home or garden. WHEN COST
EVERY SUN 3 SEP – SUN 8 OCT | 1-4PM $340 | $300 MEMB | MATERIALS INCLUDED
Oil Painting for Beginners
Monotone paintings, colour mixing and still life are some of the skills you will learn during this six week workshop. Gain the confidence you need to pick up a paintbrush and transform a canvas. WHEN COST
EVERY MON 4 SEP – MON 9 OCT | 6-9.30PM $340 | $300 MEMB | MATERIALS INCLUDED
Join local ceramicist Cecily Willis and learn the fundamentals of working with clay on the wheel, along with basic glazing techniques. Choose from the Saturday or Monday course. WHEN WHEN COST
EVERY SAT 9 SEP – SAT 21 OCT | 1-4PM EVERY MON 25 SEP – MON 30 OCT | 6-9PM $340 | $300 MEMB | MATERIALS INCLUDED
Learn to make your own handcrafted silver spinner ring with Debra Senjuschenko. WHEN COST
SUN 24 SEP | 10AM-4PM $146 | $122 MEMB | MATERIALS INCLUDED
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Milonga
Join the Northern Tango community for a night of social Argentine Tango dancing. WHEN FRI 29 SEP | 8-11PM AT COCONUT GROVE HALL COST $5 INFO facebook.com/nthntango
Malak Community Shed
Promoting creativity, sustainability, social cohesion and a sense of community, head along for some free weekly workshops featuring local and international artists. WHEN EVERY THU, 1-3PM | EVERY SAT, 9.30AM-12.30PM COST FREE
LISTINGS
Brazilian Zouk Dance Class
GENERAL Dolostone Conundrums Rogaine
Navigate across ridges, gullies and open land in this fun, physical team event. Don’t have a team? They’ll find you one. WHEN SAT 2 SEP | 1PM AT COOMALIE CREEK COST $45 EARLY BIRD | $55 | INCLUDES CAMPING AND EVENING MEAL INFO nt.rogaine.asn.au
Humanely Hilarious DASSAN Comedy Night
See five of Darwin’s sharpest comedians and bid on an eclectic live auction whilst tapping your feet to some sultry beats. This night of high-class banter raises funds for the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network (DASSAN). WHEN FRI 8 SEP | 7PM AT RAILWAY CLUB COST $30 INFO dassan@dassan.org | 0413 488 864
The Meaning of Life: A Buddhist Perspective
Gen Kelsang Dornying explores how to improve your wisdom to help live a happy life. WHEN FRI 8 SEP | 7-9PM AT CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY, CASUARINA COST $25 INFO meditateindarwin.org
Learn the basics of this Brazilian partner dance. Suitable for beginners.
Canapes and Constellations
Did you know Darwin has one of the best rooftops in Australia for urban stargazing? Join astronomer Geoff Carr for an unforgettable tour of the night sky using world-class telescopes from this 16th floor rooftop. Kick off with a spectacular sunset and enjoy canapés and beverages throughout the night. Bookings essential. WHEN AT COST INFO
WHEN AT COST INFO
FRI 1 & SAT 2 SEP | 6PM RAMADA SUITES ZEN QUARTER $85 | $35 KIDS zenquarter.com/stars
EVERY TUE | 10AM-1PM THE HEIGHTS DURACK COMMUNITY CENTRE FREE | MATERIALS PROVIDED darwincommunityarts.org.au
Artists’ Craft and Tea
Creative folk of all skill levels and mediums are invited to use the space at the brand new Durack Community Centre. Bring your tools, your work and get inspired over a cuppa with colleagues. WHEN EVERY THU | 6-7.30PM AT THE HEIGHTS DURACK COMMUNITY CENTRE COST FREE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au
Mindil Beach Sunset Market
As the sun dips into the Arafura Sea feast on cuisines such as Thai, Sri Lankan, Greek or Indian, take a wander through the palm lined boulevards for unique pressies and enjoy live entertainment. WHEN AT INFO
EVERY THU, 5-10PM | EVERY SUN, 4-9PM MINDIL BEACH mindil.com.au
Circus Workshop
Step right up! Learn circus skills such as hula-hoop, diabolo, poi, devil sticks, spinning plates, staff and juggling with Mr Morris and Trinket from The Burning Circus. Suitable for all ages.
Bachata Dance Class
Try a mix of Bachata dance styles and techniques.
Malak Marketplace
Darwin’s first organic market includes street bistro from around the world, locally grown produce, handmade arts and crafts, live entertainment, clean living education and a health hub. WHEN AT INFO
EVERY SAT | 4-9PM CHAMBERS CRESCENT CARPARK, MALAK malakmarketplace.org.au
LET’S DANCE Tango Practica
Hosted by the Northern Tango dance community, join fellow dancers to practice, refine technique, build musical skill, inspire each other, talk tango and spend another night of the week enjoying tango. WHEN AT COST INFO
EVERY MON | 7-9PM MALAK COMMUNITY HALL $5 facebook.com/nthntango
No Lights No Lycra
A weekly dance jam in the dark – no teacher, no steps to learn, no alcohol, no talking – no worries! Just dancing and great tunes. Perfect for all ages, shapes and sizes. No need to book, just turn up when you're in the mood for a boogie. WHEN AT COST INFO
EVERY WED | 6-7PM HAPPY YESS THEATRE, BROWN’S MART $7 nolightsnolycra.com
Anula School Fair
Enjoy a fun family day out with music, food, trash 'n' treasure, games and more.
Argentine Tango
Tango is a fun, social activity that can be danced by anyone, regardless of age or physical ability. It’s an improvised dance, and one that will exercise your mind as well as your body.
WHEN SAT 9 SEP | 11AM-3PM AT ANULA PRIMARY SCHOOL COST FREE INFO 8927 9477
Our Common Threads
Want to improve your sewing skills or learn from scratch? Head along to these community sessions for some female only craft time.
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WHEN EVERY SAT | 9-10AM AT DARWIN SURF LIFE SAVING CLUB COST $10 | $5 CHILD INFO theburningcircus.com.au
WHEN MON 4 & MON 11 SEP | 6.30-7.30PM AT DAVID’S STUDIO, COCONUT GROVE COST $18 INFO salsitadarwin.com.au
WHEN EVERY THU | 7-9PM AT COCONUT GROVE HALL COST $12 | $15 TWO CONSECUTIVE CLASSES INFO facebook.com/nthntango
WHEN MON 4 & MON 11 SEP | 7.30, BEGINNERS | 8.30PM INTERMEDIATE AT DAVID’S STUDIO, COCONUT GROVE COST $18 INFO salsitadarwin.com.au
Salsa Dance Class
Salsa is a contagious and addictive dance that has taken the world by storm. These practical, fun and easy classes will help you feel confident on the dance floor. WHEN TUE 5 & TUE 12 SEP | 7.45PM, BEGINNERS | 8.45PM, IMPROVERS AT DANCE WORLD STUDIO, WOOLNER COST $18 INFO salsitadarwin.com.au
DARWIN WATERFRONT
PALMERSTON LIBRARY
palmerston.nt.gov.au/library
Storytime
Say goodbye to quiet libraries! 1-5 year olds and their caregivers will love singing, dancing, listening to stories and engaging with puppets in these fun, interactive sessions. WHEN EVERY TUE & THU | 10-10.45AM COST FREE
Nursery Time
You're never too young to enjoy reading. Treat your baby to songs, puppets, nursery rhymes and movement to enhance their early literacy development. Suitable for 0-1 year olds. WHEN EVERY WED | 10-10.45AM COST FREE
Code Club
Coding is an awesome skill to help kids live in the digital age. Part of a nationwide network of volunteer-led creative coding clubs for kids aged nine to12 years, Code Club is free but places are limited, so bookings are essential. WHEN EVERY SAT | 10-11AM & 11-12PM COST FREE
waterfront.nt.gov.au
Aqua Zumba
Join the Zumba pool party for a cool calorie burning dance fitness session at Darwin's Wave Lagoon. WHEN COST
EVERY SUN | 9AM $12 ADULT | $8 U 15
ACCOMPLICE RESIDENCY SPACE creativeaccomplice.com.au
Hatha Yoga
Create balance within the body and mind with Hannah van der Wal. WHEN EVERY MON & WED | 6-7.15PM COST $1
DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS darwincommunityarts.org.au
Malak Community Garden
Work on those green thumbs with these free garden workshops. WHEN EVERY MON & WED | 10AM- 1PM COST FREE INFO facebook.com/ dcacommunitygardennews | 8945 7347
Beats & Clips
Want to improve your audio recording or editing skills? Be it for film, music or digital storytelling, these workshops can help you upskill. WHEN EVERY MON | 3-7PM COST FREE
Mums & Bubs Yoga
Integrating Asana practice with breathing and meditation, this class is suitable for mums and dads with bubs aged from six weeks old to before crawling. WHEN COST
EVERY TUE | 10-11AM $10 | BYO MAT
Responding to Landscape
Artist Anna van Stralen shares her personal routines for making work, including image collection walks, journal techniques, preliminary setup sketches, framing and creating and developing the colour palette. WHEN COST
SAT 16 & SUN 17 SEP | 10AM-4PM $250 | INCLUDES LUNCH AND DRINKS
FESTIVALS
desertMOB Festival
Desert Mob 2016 exhibition opening. Image Lisa Hatzimihail Photography; courtesy Araluen Arts Centre.
The Top End has the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair, but the Centre has Desert Mob, a three-day feast of desert art, featuring work from some of the most remote art centres in the country.
WHEN At COST Info
The festival comprises three big events – the exhibition, a symposium and the marketplace, each bound to satisfy your visual, intellectual and retail needs.
The opening night is a special event, a mingling of artists who’ve travelled vast distances to make it there, Alice Springs locals and high-rollers on the lookout for collectible art.
Desart, the body representing 42 desert art centres, has a footprint that stretches across the Central Desert, the Barkly, North West, the APY Lands and Ngaanyatjarra West, each bringing a distinct and diverse range of artworks to the festival, from the Namatjira watercolours, to Tjanpi desert weavers.
The following day, the Symposium offers a unique opportunity to hear about contemporary Aboriginal art, projects happening around the region and Q&As with the artists.
On Sunday get your wallet ready for the frenzy that is the Desert Mob Marketplace. Every artwork is under five hundred dollars, and after queuing for the market to officially open, you’ll be in just the mood for some brilliant art shopping.
Held at the Araluen Art Centre, the Desert Mob 2017 Exhibition is a massive showing of the top works from all art centres – chosen by them – and includes contemporary photography, weaving and carving.
Music, forums, beauty pageants, drag, book launches and boats will all be part of this year’s festival, which starts with a launch party in Austin Lane, off Knuckey St. MON 4 – FRI 22 SEP VARIOUS LOCATIONS FREE darwin.nt.gov.au
“The statistics released this year from the ABS show that in the NT people with limited mobility is the smallest group of people with a disability, but that’s probably not what you think of when you say ‘disability’. One in five Australians has a disability – that includes vision loss, and there’s tiny or obscure print on menus. It’s more than just being in a wheelchair.”
This year the Darwin City Council will hold a formal evening launch, featuring choirs from the Nemarluk and Henbury schools, as well as the Down syndrome choir, where
An outdoor movie night in the Jingili Water Gardens will screen the hit animation Zootopia for families and carers to attend in an accessible, inviting atmosphere. Accessibility is a big issue, says the Council’s Community Inclusion Coordinator Tahlia Joy, but it also has more definitions than people realise.
Pamela Hogan, Papulankutja Artists
THE RAINBOW FLAG WILL BE FLYING HIGH THIS MONTH AS DARWIN PRIDE FESTIVAL KICKS OFF and the Pride March relaunches itself after a hiatus of more than 10 years.
WHEN At COST Info
members perform sign language to music.
“There’s a project called Ngurra that the Western Desert art centres have been working on. It’s a big project and it will be presented at the Tarnanthi Festival in October.”
The Desart Photo Prize is also on display at their office in town, and will this year be judged by Hetti Perkins.
Pride Festival
Disability Awareness Festival
THE DISABILITY AWARENESS FESTIVAL PROMOTES ACCESS TO ALL KINDS OF COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES, educates about disability and empowers people to know their rights and roles in the community.
“As always I’m looking forward to the presentations by the art centres on the projects they’ve been working on, and hearing their stories,” says Desart CEO Philip Watkins.
THU 7 – SAT 9 SEP ARALUEN ARTS CENTRE, ALICE SPRINGS FREE – $30 desart.com.au
The highlight of the fest is a family fun day at Lake Alexander, where Guide Dogs Australia will be on site with their pooches and paddleboats will take visitors across the water. For a fascinating but no less fun day out, Royal Darwin Hospital’s rehabilitation services will open their doors for a behind-the-scenes look at its occupational and speech therapy programs, and how the body recovers after trauma such as a car crash.
With changes to the Marriage Act to allow same-sex couples to marry now being put out to a postal survey, the issue of marriage equality will be a strong one for the Pride March. “We haven’t had one in a number of years but I think this year it’s important, to show the community is strong, and it will have a political bent,” says festival co-chair Daniel Alderman. The re-vamped 2017 march will include “a few floats,” including a vehicle from the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Rescue and a giant stiletto previously seen in the Mindil Beach Sunset Market’s anniversary celebrations earlier this year. Politicians, including Chief Minister Michael Gunner, whose sister Lucy is a Pride Festival organiser, will be at the march says Alderman, where rainbow colours will replace the stripes at the Knuckey St zebra crossing. “Darwin City Council has supported the march and have come out in support of marriage equality,” he says, “yet our government still won’t allow a percentage of the community to have equal rights. We will be calling for that.” Alongside the political will, of course, be the party, including music at Happy Yess after the march, a party at Throb and a Miss First Nations pageant. For young LGBTQI, The Quarter at Casuarina Square will again be putting on a youth event, and the big week will finish up with a lazy dazy boat cruise hosted by pop-up party starters Departure Lounge. WHEN At COST Info
THU 21 SEP – SUN 1 OCT | LAUNCH THU 21 SEP, 6-10PM VARIOUS LOCATIONS FREE darwinpride.com.au
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PERFORMING ARTS COMEDIANS AMY HETHERINGTON AND KIRSTY WEBECK FIRST MET AT THIS YEAR’S MELBOURNE INTERNATIONAL COMEDY FESTIVAL (MICF), where they were playing at the same venue. It wasn’t long before they were firm friends. When comedians hit it off, things must get pretty hilarious, for soon the pair were planning an outback road trip together, Thelma and Louise style.
KIRSTY & AMY THE COMEDY ROAD TRIP WHEN At COST Info
WED 6 SEP | 7-9PM THE VENUE AT FANNIE BAY $25 ONLINE | $30 DOOR chordsandcomedy.com.au
“I guess initially it was just a drunken conversation where the two of us were like, ‘we should totally do a tour.’ Then I got back to Darwin and called her and said, ‘actually let’s do that,’” says Hetherington. Darwin comedy fans will know Hetherington for her Darwin Festival show Terminally Positive and her myriad of MC gigs, not to mention her stand-up and appearances in the annual NT comedy show Laugh It Off. In her hometown of Melbourne, Webeck is also a rising star, with performances at the Adelaide Fringe,
a successful 2017 MICF run and invitations to speak as an LGBTIQ rights activist. “We’ve both got sort of similar styles in the way that we do comedy. We’re both storytellers but with very different backgrounds – she’s single and doing crazy things in Melbourne and I’m a married homeowner from Darwin, so we’ve got really different worlds but I think it’s going to be fun for a comedy show,” says Hetherington. As they take their comedy tour “up the guts” through Alice, Tennant Creek, Katherine and Darwin, the pair will include local comedy acts in the gigs – or in the case of Katherine, provide an open mic for anyone who wants to have a go. So really, the road trip is the only Thelma and Louise part of the show? “We don’t have a convertible fancy car,” confesses Hetherington. “We’ve just got the X-Trail and hopefully we don’t kill anyone either.”
Bell Shakespeare
The Merchant of Venice
Bessanio, a Venetian noble, borrows money from Shylock, a Jewish moneylender, in order to woo the brilliant and beautiful Portia. Bessanio’s merchant friend Antonio is openly anti-Semitic, but agrees to be Bessanio’s guarantor. In the event that his bond is not paid, Shylock lays down the condition that he will get a ‘pound of flesh’ from Antonio. Meanwhile, love matches are fought and won as Bessanio and Portia meet, and Shylock’s daughter Jessica runs off with Bessanio’s friend Lorenzo – and converts to Christianity, to boot.
Shylock is one of the most controversial and compelling of Shakespeare’s creations; a Jewish character living in a time of intense persecution, given the most memorable and stirring speeches, but otherwise cast as a cruel villain. His ‘just’ fate, delivered through the courts at the end, is nothing of the sort to modern viewers. Did we mention it’s kind of a comedy?
The Bell Shakespeare Company has received excellent reviews for this production, with Mitchell Butel (Janet King and Rake) as the defiant Shylock, Jessica Tovey (Wolf Creek and Wonderland) as Portia and direction by Anne-Louise Sarks.
WHEN FRI 22 SEP | 10.30AM & 7.30PM At DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $45 | $40 CONC Info yourcentre.com.au
Image Cesar Rodrigues
ell Shakespeare’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice takes the play’s action from 16th century Venice to a contemporary setting, and the themes of religious prejudice, forgiveness and greed couldn’t be more timely.
In Between Two WHEN JOEL MA WAS A KID, THE MATRIARCH OF HIS FAMILY WAS HIS CHINESE-AUSTRALIAN GRANDMOTHER EDITH. A bornagain Christian, she would hold him close before their ritual family yumcha and say a 10-minute prayer in Cantonese.
“She also liked to sing, so at yum cha sometimes she’d stand up and put one hand on the Lazy Susan table and then in a wavering vibrato, sing old songs from the 40s and 50s,” recalls Ma. When she died, Ma and his sister discovered that this PG-version of their grandmother was rather different to the glamour and highstakes of her earlier life.
8
In the show In Between Two Ma (Joelistics, TZU) and Darwin’s own James Mangohig (Sietta) use song, storytelling, home video recordings
and photos to explore their richly varied experiences and the wealth of stories that came before them.
But also in terms of her personal life – she lived with her lover and her husband in one house.”
“It’s a theatre storytelling show with a lot of music in it, about James and I, our friendship, growing up in the 90s mixed race, being obsessed by hip-hop and slowly that interest becoming our political awakening,” says Ma.
Mangohig met Ma under a tree at a music festival in Alice Springs and went from being a fan of TZU, to a lifelong friend.
This political awakening led Ma to form TZU, the funny, original, political hip-hop crew who achieved great success in the 2000s. Ma’s grandmother ran Sydney’s Chequers nightclub, one of the city’s earliest licenced free venues, and hosted the likes of Sammy Davis Jnr and Sarah Vaughan. “She really was a ground breaking and amazing woman, in terms of her business acumen and her strength.
Raised in the church, Mangohig’s Filipino father was a preacher, who corresponded with his mother for six years, even becoming engaged to her, before ever meeting face-to-face. His own story follows his musical rebellion “and then owning my own identity as growing up mixed-raced Asian in Australia.”
WHEN At COST Info
TUE 26 – SAT 30 SEP BROWN’S MART $30 | $25 CONC brownsmart.com.au
FESTIVAL
The annual Beat Festival began in 1979 as a combined schools concert in the Darwin amphitheatre. 37 Beats later, the spectacular runs over three nights and features more than 1000 students, from grade one to year 12, at the Darwin Entertainment Centre. This year’s theme is ‘Magic!’ – which belies the incredible effort put in by hundreds of students, their teachers and parents to produce the consummate all-singing, all-dancing musical event. “The preparation runs for an entire year,” says NT Music School Principal Bill Grose. “We’ve already started working on next year’s show. We have to decide on the songs for the following year quite early, then we have to arrange the songs for the 32-piece band.” Each night a combined choir of 300 students gets on stage to sing, this year including students from Katherine, Maningrida, Ramingining, Bathurst Island and Nemarluk
schools, who are joining their Darwin and Palmerston counterparts. “Katherine School of the Air have a choir and are regulars and they don’t even catch up with each other until the festival,” says Grose. Instead, the students practice over the airwaves. This year’s featured performers include NT Song of the Year People’s Choice winner, Phoebe Wear and the popular Alice Springs Centralian Senior College rock band, Juice. The performers who’ve come furthest afield however, are the Tongling Middle School No 4, from Anhui Province in China. “We’ve got a sister school relationship with Tongling Middle School,” explains Grose. “They send students to perform in The Beat every second year and we send bands to visit China every other year. This year they’re sending traditional musicians so that’s pretty exciting.” WHEN WED 13 – FRI 15 SEP | 7PM At DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $30 | $23 CONC | $20 CHILD Info ntms.net.au
LISTINGS
THE
BEAT
IT’S WHERE COUNTLESS TERRITORIANS HAVE GOT THEIR MUSICAL START – including Jessica Mauboy, whose appearances at The Beat Festival included a featured solo performance.
The Australian Burlesque Festival - Tropical Tease
Directed by burlesque star Dolores Daiquiri, this night of glamorous classic tease and modern neoburlesque will dazzle and delight. WHEN FRI 29 SEP | 8PM COST $60
Sydney Comedy Festival Showcase
Boasting a line-up of the best local and international comics, with the freshest emerging talents, this jampacked night features some of the festival’s hottest acts. WHEN COST
SAT 30 SEP | 8PM $39 | $36 MEMB, CONC | $35 GROUP 10+
The Wiggles
Join the fab four of fun – plus Dorothy the Dinosaur, Captain Feathersword, Wags the Dog and Henry the Octopus – as they wiggle their way around Australia. WHEN SUN 17 SEP | 10AM, 12.30PM & 2.30PM COST $32.50
EF
Malak Marketplace ORGANIC FARMERS MARKET
4-9pm Every Saturday Farmers Market, Food Stalls, Arts & Craft, Entertainment, Health & Education, Yoga & Market Tours Sat 29 April to Sat 28 October Chambers Crescent Car Park, Malak www.malakmarketplace.org.au 9
LISTINGS
FOOD & DRINK
Zach Green steamed buns and green ant ginger cheesecake, Green’s innovative and delicious use of Top End ingredients was a hit and nudged him on to produce more events like it.
ach Green has been a chef for most of his working life, but it was a personal tragedy that led him to delve deeper into food, cooking and his Aboriginal heritage. The 28-year-old is in Darwin planning his next Indigenous-focused pop-up restaurant, following the success of his first held last month at The O.A.K in Darwin. With dishes like cured crocodile with compressed watermelon and kaffir lime dressing, slow cooked buffalo
In the not-so-distant future the chef wants to open a restaurant serving similarly creative food that showcases authentic Indigenous culture, while tapping into tourism’s hunger for edible experiences. “Obviously the pop-up is only giving a glimpse of what the restaurant will be like and what will be on offer there,” he says. Green moved to the Top End with his fiancée, Yolngu woman and Marngrook Footy Show panel member Leila Gurruwiwi. The pair lost two pregnancies to miscarriage, a sorrow that sent Green into a ‘deep hole’, but from which he emerged with a new passion, naming his cooking project, Elijah’s Kitchen, after one of the babies. “With the passing of my sons, it took me to the point where cooking brought me out of the deep hole – it really saved my life,” he says.
“I felt that food was my connection to my culture and the Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander cultures of Australia.” Green’s grandmother is a Gunditjmara woman from southwest Victoria, but she only told her children she was Aboriginal when Green was 12. “I found that whenever I was going to communities, if it was in WA or in the NT or Queensland and I was cooking traditional food, I learned about stories and that gave me a massive boost of confidence, knowing I was being connected to culture through food,” he says. “The main ingredients that I love are all the native game – from crocodile to kangaroo, to emu to camel, buffalo, wild boar and wallaby – and magpie goose.” With such ancient and valued foods on our doorstep, surely it’s time they made a stronger appearance on Darwin’s restaurant tables. Could Zach Green be the one to do it? Here’s hoping. INFO facebook.com/indigenouschef
| elijahsbarandgrill.com.au
By Jamie Lewis
Darwin Food Diary 16 - 26 June 2017 DURING MY 10-DAY WORKSHOP RESIDENCY AT ACCOMPLICE I COOKED A LOT AND SHARED DINNERS WITH MANY, MANY PEOPLE. Any chance to eat out, I took it – and looked forward to the stories that would fill my heart. Here are a few of my faves. I had been told of the Darwin institution that is Mary’s Laksa at Parap Market long before I first made it to this city. “Darwin has the best laksa in Australia,” they said. Now, I know Mary didn’t win the local best laksa competition this year but, in my book, a good laksa experience is 50 per cent quality and 50 per cent nostalgia. And the combination of the sweaty morning and Mary’s charisma, plus a pretty good laksa, filled my soul just as much as it filled my belly.
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Found in both Parap and Rapid Creek markets, Thai sweets are the perfect treat to take to a dinner party. Glutinous rice, palm sugar and pandan are some of the key ingredients in many of these delicious goodies. The two women behind the stall may
not give you much time of day, but a taste of their treats will definitely leave you feeling bliss, especially as the perfect finish to a spicy dinner. Arrive hungry if attempting Sri Lankan Hoppers at Rapid Creek Market and plan to share these bowl shaped pancakes, served with a generous helping of vegetables and curry, with someone else. Get in with your hands, and this home-style, hearty and delicious dish will leave you feeling like you’re part of the family. So, no I didn’t have laksa at Laksa House – shame on me. But the full plate of charcoal-grilled chicken gave me just as much pleasure, Jamie Lewis is not a chef, but a storyteller who cooks. A performance artist, Jamie facilitates shared experiences, storytelling, and conversations over homemade home-style meals. INFO
creativeaccomplice.com.au
and was a great conversation starter. We chose to sit out front by the street, passers-by eyeballing our plates, leading to the meeting of new friends as they joined our feast. With a focus on sustainably caught fish and a small menu, Jetty and the Fish really impressed and was the perfect final dinner before I made my way out of this city. The batter is light and well fried, and the chips hit the spot. The fish was fresh and sweet on its own. The line is long, but it’s a restful Sunday, so who’s rushing. Take in the sunset, the evening breeze, the sound of the waves crashing and breathe in Darwin.
GENERAL Malak Community Dinner
Embrace Darwin’s diverse culture with a night of food and entertainment. WHEN MON 25 SEP | 6-8.30PM AT DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS, MALAK COST $5 | $10 FAMILY | FREE FOR VOLUNTEERS INFO darwincommunityarts.org.au
Father’s Day Lunch
Treat dad or a special person to a traditional Korean Charcoal BBQ this Father’s Day. WHEN SUN 3 SEP | 12-3PM AT LITTLE MISS KOREA COST FROM $22 INFO facebook.com/littlemiss koreadarwin
Sportsman’s Long Lunch
An afternoon of good food and great company with host and former AFL player John Rombotis and special guests James Hird, senior coach of the Essendon Football Club, and all time footy legend Kevin Sheedy. A charity auction will raise money for the Humpty Dumpty Foundation. WHEN AT COST INFO
FRI 8 SEP | 11.30AM-4.30PM SKYCITY DARWIN $90 | $850 TABLE OF 10 skycitydarwin.com.au
Rapid Creek
Green
MANGOES
THEY’RE GREEN BUT PERFECTLY RIPE, SWEET BUT SOUR – OR JUST PLAIN SWEET. It’s the season for green mangoes, before the big yellow Kensington Pride and blushing R2E2 dominate the market, and our palates. Mangoes that are mature when green have sweetness and tartness, without being starchy. They can be eaten on their own as a refreshing snack, sliced in salads or used in pickles and chutneys. Stall holder Muy Keav is a commercial mango grower whose two green varieties, Elephant and Keow Savoey, provide fresh, contrasting flavours to Rapid Creek Market shoppers and foodies on the east coast, where she exports to. Long, like an ivory tusk, the pale green Elephant “is sour but not super-sour and is good for salad,” says Keav. The smaller and greener Keow Savoey is “a little bit sweeter, crunchier with more aroma. When I mix it with the salad you can smell it with your mouth.”
GReen MANGO
Chutney This recipe for green mango chutney uses white sugar, white vinegar and a few spices to preserve the fruity flavour and bright yellow of the mango. 1 Elephant mango 3 small sweet green-skinned mangoes like Keow Savoey
Market
Keav makes a mouth-watering Cambodian version of the ubiquitous paw paw salad using green mango. She uses a mix of both Elephant and Keow Savoey, small dried prawns and lots of fresh herbs, which she grows without pesticides on her Lambells Lagoon farm. She also makes an Indian-style pickle using crunchy Elephant mango, which she sells at the stall. Green Elephant is a popular green eating mango in Vietnam, and is a refreshing snack. Other green varieties to try at Rapid Creek Market are the sweet Falan and Nam Doc Mai, both Thai varieties, which turn yellow inside when fully ripe. The popular Nam Doc Mai is long and white-green, and is delicious when eaten sweet or sour. Before the “big two” take over with their full-on dessert sweetness, get your fill of green mangoes – marinated, in salads, in green mango chutney or as a sweet and crunchy addition to rice paper rolls.
Slice the mango from the seed into thin but wide slices and set aside. Heat a sturdy large pot and soften onion in the oil. Stir in all the other ingredients and bring to a boil, then turn down low and simmer for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into hot sterilised jars and set aside to cool. Refrigerate once opened. 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 1 cup white wine vinegar
vegetable oil or olive oil
2 tsp garam masala
1 onion, chopped
1 cup white sugar
3cm of peeled ginger, grated
salt
September Events Love your locals | Threatened species Saturday 9 September 9am to 1pm | free Learn about some of the Territory’s animals who are on the brink of extinction due to a range of threats. There will be interactive displays and cameo appearances from native species. Cinema 360 Darwin International Film Festival 14 to 24 September The NT’s first pop-up Cinema 360 dome will feature at the Darwin Waterfront. Movie sessions will range from 45 to 75 minutes per movie. $12 per adult, $10 per child or $30 for a family of four. Visit diff.net.au to book. Splashfest Family Fun Day Celebrate Water Safety Week Sunday 24 September | 9am to 1pm | free Enjoy free entertainment for the family including jumping castles, waterslides, face painting, themed arts and crafts, water safety demonstrations and your chance to meet Boof the Barra. Bridgestone World Solar Festival Sunday 1 October | 10am to 4pm | free Open your mind to the world of solar cars and experience the vehicles powered only by the sun. There will be children’s activities, food stalls, a movie and solar cars on show . All events are alcohol and glass free. waterfront.nt.gov.au
Aboriginal Bush Traders is 100% not-for profit and provides support to Indigenous people wanting to engage in economic activities in a sustainable way.
Facebook Aboriginal Bush Traders
info@aboriginalbushtraders.com
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Phone
(08) 8942 4023
Shop
www.aboriginalbushtraders.com
Lyons Cottage, 74 The Esplanade, Darwin
16 Sat
Fri
4 Ellipsis 6 Circus Workshop 6 Malak Marketplace 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Code Club 6 Responding to Landscape 15 FlicNics 15 The BFG 16 NTeen Fashion Festival 18 A Ticket to Paradise 20 A Contemporary Antiquity (last chance) 20 NCCA Artist Talks 23 Hotel Darwin
22 7 Disability Awareness Festival (concludes) 8 The Merchant of Venice 18 Work In Progress 19 Connecting Life After (opening) 22 An Abstracted Life (opening) 23 Loud at the Library 23 NT News Live on Fridays 23 Open Mic Night By The Sea See Performing Arts 8
8 In Between Two
17 Sun
19 Darwin Art Trail
4 SPARK & Territory Shorts (DIFF) 6 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 6 Aqua Zumba 6 Responding to Landscape 9 The Wiggles 19 Artists Gone Wild! (last chance) 23 Mindil Market Talent Search 23 Hotel Darwin
See Visual Arts 18
Exhibition
YEARS AT THE TOP
Thu
18 Off The Leash Exhibition
28
6 Artists’ Craft & Tea 6 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 6 Argentine Tango 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Storytime 7 Pride Festival 17 Laugh out Loud
See Visual Arts 19
23 Sat
Fri
4 Dr G Yunupingu documentary (DIFF) 6 Circus Workshop 6 Malak Marketplace 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Code Club 7 Pride Festival 15 Writing from the Body 19 Lak Lak (last chance) 20 NCCA (last chance) 23 DSO Kids’ Classics 23 Alexandre Da Costa 23 Hotel Darwin
29
6 Milonga 7 Pride Festival 8 In Between Two 9 Australian Burlesque Festival 23 Snapchat Regret 23 Loud at the Library 23 NT News Live on Fridays 23 Hotel Darwin 23 Open Mic Night By The Sea
18 Mon
Sun
6 Tango Practica 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Beats & Clips 6 Hatha Yoga 23 Monday Jam Nights
See Around Town 6
24
22 An Evening with Tex, Don & Charlie 5 Silver ‘Spinner’ Ring in a Day 6 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 7 Pride Festival 15 Wild Words 15 Writing from the Body 18 Off The Leash Exhibition 23 DSO Kids’ Classics 23 Mindil Market Talent Search 23 Luka Lesson & Kahl Wallis
See Visual Arts 20
20 NeighbourHOODS (opening)
19 Tue
Sat
6 Our Common Threads 6 Storytime 6 Mums & Bubs Yoga 21 Memorial Service for Dr G Yunupingu 23 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsal
See Music 22
30
6 Circus Workshop 6 Malak Marketplace 6 Malak Community Shed 7 Pride Festival 8 In Between Two 9 Sydney Comedy Festival 16 Maker Café 19 SALON17 (last chance) 19 UnTransLaTable (last chance) 20 Past, Present, Future (last chance) 20 Alfred Lalara (last chance) 23 Yeo
20
Wed
Mon
6 No Lights No Lycra 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Nursery Time 6 Hatha Yoga 16 Skate Night
25
4 DIFF Closing – Songkeepers 5 Throwing on the Wheel (commences) 6 Tango Practica 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Beats & Clips 6 Hatha Yoga 7 Pride Festival 10 Malak Community Dinner 23 Monday Jam Nights
See Around Town 5
5 GeeCon
See Around Town 6
26
Tue
6 Our Common Threads 6 Storytime 6 Mums & Bubs Yoga 7 Pride Festival 8 In Between Two 23 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsal 23 Katherine Jam Night
21
Thu
6 Argentine Tango
Wed
6 Artists’ Craft & Tea 6 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Storytime 7 Pride Festival Launch 15 Poetry & Coffee 19 Weaving & Watching 20 Alfred Lalara (last chance)
27
6 No Lights No Lycra 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Nursery Time 6 Hatha Yoga 7 Pride Festival 8 In Between Two 15 Blue 16 Skate Night
AROUND TOWn Books & fILM Performing Arts FESTIVALS Visual Arts YOUTH Food & Drink Music
offtheleash.net.au
Although all care is taken to ensure information in Off The Leash is correct, it is subject to change. Not all events can be listed on this calendar, so we recommend checking offtheleash.net.au for updates.
Fri
See Visual Arts 20
20 Alfred Lalara (opening)
Sat Sun
10 Father’s Day Lunch
3 5 The Art of Mosaic (commences) 6 Aqua Zumba 23 Mindil Market Talent Search 23 Up the Guts Tour 23 Singing Workshop 23 Hotel Darwin 23 First Sunday Blues
See Food & Drink 10
YEARS AT THE TOP See Performing Arts 9
Exhibition
Wed
6 No Lights No Lycra 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Nursery Time 6 Hatha Yoga 15 French Film Night 16 Skate Nights
9 The Beat Festival
13
Off The Leash Cover Exhibition
Tue
6 Our Common Threads 6 Salsa Dance Class 6 Storytime 6 Mums & Bubs Yoga 23 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsal
12
See Visual Arts 18
6 Code Club 6 Circus Workshop 6 Malak Marketplace 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Dolostone Conundrums Rogaine 6 Canapes & Constellations 15 FlicNics 15 Write Here 16 Street Heat 20 NCCA Artist Talks 22 One Tropical Day 23 D Henry Fenton 23 Pierce Brothers
2
Calendar SEPTEMBER 2017
1
6 Canapes & Constellations 16 Leanyer Skate Sesh 19 Artists Gone Wild! (opening) 20 NCCA (opening) 20 Past, Present, Future (opening) 23 Lemme Smash 23 Gouldian Bar 23 Loud at the Library 23 NT News Live on Fridays 23 Hotel Darwin 23 Open Mic Night By The Sea
8 Mon
Fri
7 5 Argentine Tango Workshops 6 DASSAN Comedy & Live Auction 6 The Meaning of Life 7 Desert Mob 10 Sportsman’s Long Lunch 23 Loud at the Library 23 NT News Live on Fridays 23 Hotel Darwin 23 Open Mic Night By The Sea
Thu
6 Artists’ Craft & Tea 6 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 6 Argentine Tango 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Storytime 7 Desert Mob 15 Ali’s Wedding 17 Top End Comedy See Books and Film 15
11
15 A Quiet Passion
6 Tango Practica 6 Brazilian Zouk Dance Class 6 Bachata Dance Class 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Beats & Clips 6 Hatha Yoga 23 Monday Jam Nights
4
Mon
Thu
5 Oil Painting for Beginners (commences) 6 Tango Practica 6 Brazilian Zouk Dance Class 6 Bachata Dance Class 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Beats & Clips 6 Hatha Yoga 7 Disability Awareness Festival (commences) 15 Oasis: Supersonic 23 Monday Jam Nights
14
4 DIFF Opening – Lipstick Under My Burka 4 Cinema 360° Opens (DIFF) 6 Artists’ Craft & Tea 6 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 6 Argentine Tango 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Storytime 9 The Beat Festival
5
9
Tue
6 Our Common Threads 6 Salsa Dance Class 6 Storytime 6 Mums & Bubs Yoga 23 Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsal
Sat
Fri
5 Throwing on the Wheel (commences) 5 Argentine Tango Workshops 6 Anula School Fair 6 Circus Workshop 6 Malak Marketplace 6 Malak Community Shed 6 Code Club 7 Desert Mob 15 FlicNics 15 My Life as a Zucchini 21 Ted Egan 22 One Tropical Day
15
4 Westwind (DIFF)
9 The Beat Festival 19 Lak Lak (opening) 23 Loud at the Library 23 NT News Live on Fridays 23 Hotel Darwin 23 Open Mic Night By The Sea
6
Wed
Sun
6 No Lights No Lycra 6 Malak Community Garden 6 Nursery Time 6 Hatha Yoga 8 Kirsty & Amy: Comedy Road Trip 16 Skate Night
10
5 Argentine Tango Workshops 6 Mindil Beach Sunset Market 6 Aqua Zumba 15 Writing Group Online (commences) 18 A Frontier Journey (opens) 23 Mindil Market Talent Search 23 Hotel Darwin
See Feature 4
REHEARSALS Tue 7.00pm to 9.30pm TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM Sat 10.00am to 12noon Supported by City of Darwin
NEW MEMBERS AND VISITORS WELCOME Ron Roberts (Music Director) 0418 857 744 Carol Atkinson (President) 0408 322 539 darwincitybrassband@gmail.com
darwincitybrassband.org.au
NORTHERN TERRITORY WRITERS’ CENTRE
8941 2651 ntwriters.com.au executive@ntwriters.com.au Workshops | Monthly Events | Opportunities
CHESS IN CONCERT
14
CHESS
28 October 2017 | 7.30pm | Darwin Entertainment Centre Tickets at yourcentre.com.au or DEC box office 8980 3333
&
Writing Group
LISTINGS
Online with Sandra Thibodeaux
FlicNics
Showcasing everything from comedies to popular animated movies for kids, Goyder Square transforms into a free outdoor cinema every Saturday evening of the Dry. Screening this month is Austenland, The Sapphires (theme night) and The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. WHEN SAT 2, 9 & 16 SEP | 7PM AT GOYDER SQUARE, PALMERSTON COST FREE INFO palmerston.nt.gov.au
Oasis: Supersonic
Weaving never-before-seen concert footage with candid interviews, Oasis: Supersonic is a revealing look at the meteoric rise of influential British band Oasis . WHEN MON 4 SEP | 7PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $14 | $10 MEMB, CONC INFO yourcentre.com.au
French Film Night
WHEN AT COST INFO
SAT 16 SEP | 7PM DARWIN WATERFRONT FREE waterfront.nt.gov.au
Keep Top End Coasts Healthy presents Blue, a provocative journey into the ocean realm, examining this critical moment in time when the marine world is on a precipice. WHEN AT COST INFO
NT WRITERS’ CENTRE ntwriters.com.au
Poetry and Coffee
Connect with fellow poetry lovers and share your favourite verses, or your own originals. No criticism, just enjoyment. Simply turn up and drink coffee in the relaxing company of poetry.
When we write from our physical selves, we reach a deeper, more authentic place with our writing. Join author Natalie Sprite in this popular and practical workshop. SAT 23 SEP, 10AM-3PM | SUN 24 SEP, 10AM-2PM DARWIN SAILING CLUB $165 | $136 MEMB
The stage is wide open for anyone to perform poetry, prose, song lyrics or even a blog! An afternoon of word-ly appreciation every last Sunday of the month. WHEN AT COST
SUN 24 SEP | 3-5PM RAILWAY CLUB $5 | FREE FOR PERFORMERS
WritE HERE “Someone said, ‘you write to be with yourself and with others at the same time’,” says Johanna Bell, who runs the monthly session for StoryProjects and Creative Accomplice. “It’s really hard to carve out a time to write, so Write Here is about writers of all different ages and stages and genres, getting together and writing for two hours.
CINEMA
JERVOIS ROAD, DARWIN WATERFRONT
COST $16 | $12 CONC | $10 MEMB | $35 FAM (2 ADU, 2 KIDS) BOOK deckchaircinema.com.au INFO info@deckchaircinema.com.au | 8981 0700 | GATES OPEN 6PM
Ali’s Wedding
Starring Osamah Sami, who was in Darwin recently performing in Mary Anne Butler’s play The Sound of Waiting, the film follows the trials of good Muslim boy Ali, whose lies about getting into medical school spiral hilariously out of control. Sami returns to Darwin for the screening of the film.
Writing From The Body
Wild Words
Running from the airy ACCOMPLICE studio, the space is a haven for a regular group of writers who want to focus on their own solo work, but like the company of others doing the same.
Deckchair
WHEN THU 21 SEP | 10-11AM AT EAT AT MARTINS, COCONUT GROVE COST FREE
WHEN WED 13 SEP | 6.30PM AT CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY, BUILDING BLUE 5 COST $20 | $14 STUDENT, MEMB INFO afdarwin.org
ON A SATURDAY AFTERNOON, IN A QUIET BACKSTREET OF COCONUT GROVE, A DOZEN WRITERS TAP AWAY AT WORK THEY’VE PUT ASIDE TWO HOURS OF PRECIOUS TIME FOR.
My Life as a Zucchini
WED 27 SEP | 6PM DECKCHAIR CINEMA FREE topendcoasts.org.au
WHEN AT COST
Based on Roald Dahl’s much-loved children's classic, The BFG tells the story of sweet orphan Sophie and the kind giant who befriends her.
Unlike other writing groups, this correspondence is all conducted online, and was launched by the NT Writers’ Centre in response to members’ requests for more in-depth critique of their work.
Blue
Enjoy the French movie Lulu femme nue, along with French cheese and wine at this monthly Alliance Française de Darwin event.
The BFG
“BE BRIEF AND SAY EVERYTHING,” SAID THE POET CHARLES SIMIC. That’s one skill poet and playwright Sandra Thibodeaux wants to impart to those joining her writing group, which will cover all genres.
WHEN
THU 7 SEP, 7.30PM | SAT 9 SEP, 9PM
My Life as a Zucchini
Set in an orphanage, this delightful and poignant claymation, based on the 2002 French novel by Gilles Paris, explores the meaning of trust and true love. WHEN
SAT 9 SEP | 7.15PM
A Quiet Passion
"There’s no emphasis on sharing your work, the emphasis is on getting writing done. People working on short stories, poetry, their PhD. Someone wrote a grant application at the last one.”
Bell says Write Here has drawn people who would normally not get a chance to meet with other writers and, in the wider scheme of things, the sessions aim to help local writers produce more work.
The Write Here two hours of power is part of a national program run by the Melbourne-based group Writers Bloc.
“My personal motivation is that there are amazing writers here, but our stories are not often part of the national narrative. I’m interested in helping stories from regional Australia feed into that narrative.”
There’s now more than 50 members on the group’s Facebook page and a mix of people who turn up for the sessions, held on the first Saturday of the month.
“The characters drive the plot, so when I look at people’s writing, I want to see characters that interest me and I want to care about the characters and be concerned for their journeys. That’s going to hold the reader's interest.” Like a traditional writing group, participants also have the choice of reading and commenting on each other’s writing, a process that is strongly encouraged. “When you’re writing it all makes perfect sense. It’s all inside your head and you think it’s wonderful, but you don’t know how the reader is absorbing it. It’s really handy to have people read and give feedback,” says Thibodeaux.
WHEN AT COST INFO
MON 11 SEP | 7.30PM
The session begins with one warmup exercise and is broken up by morning tea, but other than that, it’s all up to you and your words.
“What I’m interested in is probably character,” she says.
“Probably the final touch I look at is a sense of poetry and a sense of rhythm in all writing. That’s usually what is the icing on the cake, if you think of someone like Tim Winton for instance, or Alexis Wright. It’s what gives the reader great pleasure.”
Emily Dickinson was famously unrecognised during her lifetime, her poetry and genius not witnessed beyond her small familial world in Amherst, Massachusetts. Terence Davies’ A Quiet Passion pays homage to Dickinson, shining a light on her complex inner world and family, in lush period style. WHEN
Each month from September to November, participants will submit a piece of writing of no more than 1500 words. Thibodeaux, who is the former head of the Writers’ Centre and whose most recent work The Age of Bones showed at Brown’s Mart earlier this year, will read participants’ work and give constructive feedback through email.
WHEN AT COST INFO
SAT 2 SEP, 2–4PM | REPEATS FIRST SAT OF THE MONTH ACCOMPLICE, COCONUT GROVE $5 DONATION creativeaccomplice.com.au
SUN 10 SEP – SUN 5 NOV ONLINE $180 | $150 MEMB ntwriters.com.au
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YOUTH
LISTINGS
NTeen Fashion Festival SOCKS WILL BE KNOCKED OFF! WONDER WILL BE STRUCK! So says founder Jo-anna Egart of this year’s NTeen Fashion Festival, where young designers and makers show off their skills to each other, their friends and a crack panel of judges. She hasn’t seen the designs yet of course, but going on all the years past, Egart knows to expect the unexpected. In an era of cheap, fast fashion and lightening-quick trends, the fashion festival is a testament to the creativity and ability of teenagers, with teen designers travelling from as far as Alice Springs to parade their sewing and designs. “They were knocking people’s socks off last year, so I just say be prepared for something wonderful. They’re capable of wonderful, wonderful things,” says Egart. Some young designers have been working on garments to enter into the festival for six months, others will smash them out in a week, says Egart. All show their clothes on a catwalk, with the garments’ technical composition judged before the show. “Through the process of creating a design they have to problem solve,” says Egart. “When they come to the event, if they get anxious, then we encourage them to assert themselves and work with us to find a model for them.”
The leading design and the runner-up in each category will go on to represent the NT at the Apex Australia Teenage Fashion and Arts (AATFA) Youth Festival National Final in Perth. With categories including wearable art, formal wear, casual wear and the ‘rising star’ show for primary school-aged kids who’ve made any kind of garment, this year’s fashion fest is bound to impress not only the judges. WHEN At COST INFO
SAT 16 SEP | 2-4PM DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS BY DONATION facebook.com/nteenfashion
Jingili Skate Park Comp; image Charlie Bliss
CITY OF DARWIN facebook.com/launchdarwin
Pre Heat - Leanyer Skate Sesh A simple, affordable invention kit, Makey Makey uses alligator clips and a circuit board to connect everyday items to any computer, allowing users to create ridiculous but fun machines like banana pianos or a play-dough game console.
Maker
Café WHAT KIND OF FABULOUS WORKSPACE COMBINES ROBOTICS, HALO-HALO ICE DESSERTS, SPECIAL FX MAKE UP AND 3D PRINTING? The Maker Café at GeeCon combines all the skills of STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) with an added A, for Arts. Pushing full STEAM ahead, the café will take up a busy space among the stalls at the Darwin Convention Centre, offering youth-orientated activities that will spark the creative and tech imaginations of GeeCon-goers. You may have watched the weird and wonderful inventions of Makey Makey on YouTube, and now this is your chance to get inventive.
Matt Hammond in a Skyrim inspired costume; image Tam Nguyen
EVER WANTED TO MAKE A SET OF SPARTAN ARMOUR – OR A VIKING’S GET-UP? Matt Hammond will no doubt inspire you with his larger-than-life cosplay heroes. Off The Leash caught up with Hammond in the lead-up to GeeCon, where he’ll be wearing his latest creation.
Q&A 16
with cosplay enthusiast Matt Hammond
What characters do you portray in cosplay? So far I have only cosplayed video game characters. I remember when the game Halo: Reach was released and I thought, ‘how cool would it be to have a set of Spartan armour?’ And now I have one.
Also at the café will be the Edison robot, an easy programmable robotics tool for keen inventors, as well as 3D printing and virtual reality demonstrations. The café is an initiative of the Darwin City Council and Libraries, and as well as fixed-time demos and workshops, includes self-directed activities like manga drawing, a reading space and the perennial favourite – badge making. “Conventions are massive down south,” says the Council’s Lisa Burnett, “and this GeeCon is instigated by young people. They wanted to provide something like that up here, but maybe with a heavier component around video gaming.” Tapping into the strongly creative side of GeeCon, the Maker Café will also feature young make up artist Krista Kaye, who will demonstrate her supernatural special FX designs. To replenish those spent electrolytes and skill-up on an awesome dessert craze, the café’s Southeast Asian shaved ice dessert workshops are sure to be a hit, with Filipino Halo-Halo, Malaysian Ais Kacang and Korean Patbingsu all on offer – for free! WHEN At COST INFO
SAT 30 SEP – SUN 1 OCT GEECON, DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE FREE FOR GEECON ATTENDEES | ENTRY FEE APPLIES launchdarwin.com.au
What’s the most difficult thing you've created? My greatest achievement is probably my Spartan suit. It's more of a childhood dream coming true. Over time, I have faced a lot of challenging builds, each requiring a different skill level. The most recent one was my T-600 Terminator skull. It turned my mind to jelly a few times during the build. Tell us about the scene in Darwin – is it growing? Have you taken your work to any other conventions or festivals? With big franchises like the Marvel
Australian Vert skater Renton Millar hosts games for skaters of all levels in this free fun session at Leanyer Skate Park. All welcome. WHEN FRI 1 SEP | 5-7PM At JINGILI SKATE PARK COST FREE
Street Heat
It’s time to shred before the Wet, with some of Darwin, and the NT’s, best battling it out. Hosted by Renton Millar, there’s junior and open comps with cash and prizes to be won, plus music, food and free street art workshops. WHEN SAT 2 SEP | 3-7PM At JINGILI SKATE PARK COST FREE
Skate Nights
Head to Jingili on Wednesday nights for free music and skating at the park. Not just for skateboarders, newbies and all are welcome and there's spare board and helmets available. WHEN EVERY WED | 6-8PM At JINGILI SKATE PARK COST FREE
Cinematic Universe and DC Comics movies becoming so popular, "geek culture" is becoming more widely accepted and with it, cosplay. But there are still a lot of "closet geeks". I certainly don't think people would think I was a geek, let alone an accomplished prop replica builder. I haven't even been to a convention, let alone gone in cosplay – GeeCon is going to be my first, so I'm pretty excited about that.
community. I'm not sure yet if I will do a reveal or go for maximum shock value. I’ve been working on it for two years now and I'm making haste to get it finished in time. You might just have to get down to GeeCon to find out. I can tell you that it will be "out of this world."
What costume are you working on at the moment for GeeCon? I have for the most part been keeping it a surprise to the wider
WHEN At COST INFO
GeeCon SAT 30 SEP – SUN 1 OCT DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE $35 ONE DAY | $55 WEEKEND geecon.org.au
WORD ON THE STREET
REVIEWS, TIPS AND ADVICE FOR TRAVELLING THE WORLD WITH KIDS
Hänsel und Gretel; image Shane Penny
From the Esplanade to Fannie Bay to Nightcliff, there’s something abuzz on the Darwin foreshore. You may have noticed the explosion of new pop-up food vans this Dry season – with their special, low-key, relaxed and friendly vibe, they’ve been warmly embraced by Darwin locals.
For parents sick of cooking the evening meal (like myself), I’m sure you’ll agree that a family dinner at a pop-up food truck on the foreshore has got to be one of the easiest and most fabulous ways to eat out with kids in these parts. You don't have to cook, the kids can play and the sunsets are always glorious.
Their harbour locations are top notch – plus the owners set up charming tables and chairs, bean bags, ambient lighting, mats, chilled tunes and more. The range of cuisines on offer is mind-boggling, from Thai, Syrian, German, Russian, Greek and Italian, there’s something to please even the fussiest of little eaters.
Heading to a pop-up is a unique and personal experience. You meet the owners – from Benjamin shouting “Number 45 Pizza” at Cucina Sotto le Stelle (aka Pop up Pizza), to long-term locals Yianna and Irene of Yummy Yianna’s Greek Cuisine serving their home made Greek fare. There’s crepes from Ken and Susi at Ken’s Crepes, and schnitzel from Ben and Kamala at Hänsel
und Gretel. Kit from Mitch and Mario BBQ Smokehouse, who hails from Texas, told me he marinates the pork for 24 hours and then smokes it for another 14! Now that’s dedication. The Potato Man, Jay’s Coffee and Harry’s Mobile Kitchen are all trail blazers of the Nightcliff Foreshore and Harry celebrates 20 years at Nightcliff Jetty this year. Make the most of the rest of the Dry season, as some wind down over the Wet, and head to a pop-up for a family brekkie, lunch or dinner. There’s further details on the Growing Up Troppo blog and don’t forget to check the Facebook pages of the food trucks for any lastminute changes. See you there!
Libby Larsen Travel is, and has always been, Libby’s passion and she believes that this shouldn’t stop when you have kids. Libby knows that the best travel advice and tips come from other parents and so she started Growing up Troppo. It has loads of inspiration about hip places to stay, play and eat with kids that importantly parents love too. FOLLOW growinguptroppo.com | @growinguptroppo
ASSAULT YOUR EARS DEDICATED TO PODCASTS
The Messenger is a podcast that makes for uncomfortable listening. Produced by The Wheeler Centre and Behind the Wire, The Messenger takes us into the Australian immigration detention centre on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea. It will come as no surprise that the subject matter of The Messenger is confronting and distressing so prepare yourself.
man from the Darfur region of Sudan who fled his homeland in 2013.
Chronicling daily life on Manus Island, The Messenger has two central voices – that of journalist Michael Green, and the other of Abdul Aziz Muhamat, a Zaghawa
We learn of Aziz’s own story, as well as the good and bad happenings inside a place we hear about too often but know too little about. There are many upsetting
Green and Aziz commenced their correspondence using the voice recording capabilities of instant messaging service WhatsApp, on Aziz’s 864th day in detention. It’s on these messages, all 3,500 of them, that The Messenger is based.
Jess Ong works as a Communications Manager in the arts and the private sector, and is also the Creative Producer of local storytelling night, SPUN. She is the host of the SPUN Stories podcast and moonlights in the world of freelance.
moments in this podcast, but being a witness to the obvious friendship and mutual respect that develops between Aziz and Green is a special privilege. The Messenger recently beat an impressive field of international competitors to take home a Grand Award at the New York Festivals International Radio Program awards – an enormously well-deserved acknowledgement. You can subscribe to The Messenger via Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast app.
I M O C CS
CORNER
SHOWCASING TOP END COMICS AND LOCAL STAND-UP PERFORMERS
The curtains have fallen on the Darwin Festival and Hanuman has cleaned off the last ghee splatter from its bamboo kitchen but, like a phoenix rising from the ashes of your festival memories, several amazing new comedy shows emerge to breathe life into your humdrum lives. That's right, September is flush with stand up comedic talent, hotter than a Build Up evening, and all you have to do is know where to sniff. First up, on Wednesday 6 September, local comedy juggernaut Amy Hetherington teams up with her Melbourne stand up soul-mate Kirsty Webeck for the final stop of their NT Comedy Road Trip. This show promises to deliver some genuinely cracking laughs. Think the 1987 Star Wars spinoff and moderate hit Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure but even cuter (and decidedly more funny). Judging by Hetherington's previous uplifting and hilarious shows this is sure to be a night of raucous and infectious laughter. For the stand up comedy connoisseurs, Top End Comedy presents its monthly stand up showcase at Happy Yess on the first Thursday of the month. September’s theme of ‘families’ will see some exciting new routines from Darwin's emerging superstars. Lock in Friday 8 September and get down to the Darwin Railway Club in Parap for the Darwin Asylum Seeker Support and Advocacy Network’s (DASSAN) Humanely Hilarious Comedy and Live Auction.
Happy Yess Comedy; image Amy Hetherington
See five of Darwin’s sharpest comic minds egg each other on at a night of high and low class comic banter, featuring the incisive comedy stylings of Nicole Stevens, Ange Wu, Ben Stevenson, Danielle Andrews and my good self. This show will have you laughing and sneezing in equal measure, the comedy sets punctuated by some sultry beats and a hilarious live auction in which you can bid on some wonderfully strange items, including a "comedian comes to roast your boss" prize. This should be one of the craziest nights of the year and all in support of the amazing work of DASSAN. To wrap up your September, the Beachfront Hotel hosts its regular ‘Laugh out Loud’ series. Featuring four hand picked comedy professionals, it delves into some more adult topics on the last Thursday of the month. Make sure your September is joyful and as Mr T said, stay in school, cos he pities the fool.
Will Crawford is an up-andcrawling comic. He moonlights as a land rights lawyer and policy activist.
FOLLOW spunstories.net | @jess__ong
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VISUAL ARTS MAGNT
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory 19 Conacher Street, The Gardens | 8999 8264 | magnt.net.au | Anwar Young, Unrupa Rhonda Dick and Frank Young, Kulata Tjuta, ‘Wati kulunypa tjukurpa (Many spears - Young fella story)’, 37 spears, digital print, wood, kangaroo tendon, kiti (natural glue); 34th Telstra NATSIAA, winner Telstra Art Award
MON–FRI 9AM-5PM | SAT & SUN 10AM-5PM
NATSIAA
10 YEARS at the Top
Since then, the magazine has grown in both size and scope, delivering comprehensive info, interviews and articles to thousands of readers in Darwin and beyond. To celebrate 10 years at the top, Off The Leash (OTL) is holding a pop-up exhibition of a decade of
OTL covers, in all their glory, at Paul Johnstone Gallery. “Our early issues featured favourite Territory artists like Shellie Morris and Leah Flanagan,” says Managing Editor Roslyn Perry. “Over the years we’ve had some incredible photographs and art on our covers, including Sunrize Band, Chooky Dancers, Rob Brown and Winsome Jobling – just to name a few!
A Ticket To Paradise This touring exhibition, from the National Archives of Australia, examines the rich diversity of Australian immigrants and the government’s ambitious plans after World War II to encourage mass migration. WHEN SAT 16 SEP – WED 14 FEB
From Having Come Together
Comprising over 130 paintings, rare cultural artefacts and historical ephemera, this startling exhibition provides an extraordinary insight into the genesis of the contemporary Aboriginal art movement, revealing the largest and most important collection of early Papunya paintings in the world. WHEN UNTIL SUN 18 FEB
A Frontier Journey: Photographs by Otto Tschirn 1915-18
The photographs of Otto Tschirn give a remarkable insight into the social world of the changing Central Australian frontier during the early years of the 20th century. WHEN SUN 10 SEP – SUN 14 JAN
3/7 Caryota Court, Coconut Grove | 0422 232 839 | creativeaccomplice.com.au
View work created by Anna van Stralen during her September residency at ACCOMPLICE, pursuing the idea of intangible ties that connect us with places lived and places visited. WHEN FRI 22 SEP, 5-7PM | WORKSHOP SAT 16 & SUN 17 SEP
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The weekend-long exhibition will have all 10 years – 108 covers – on display, as well as copies of the mag, so you can re-live and reminisce over the iconic gigs, festivals and interviews of the past.
WHEN SAT 23 SEP, 10AM-3PM | SUN 24 SEP, 10AM-1PM AT PAUL JOHNSTONE GALLERY COST FREE INFO offtheleash.net.au
ACCOMPLICE ARTS SPACE
Work In Progress
“Gradually we moved towards vibrant single artworks that really stand out in the tabloid-sized format.”
WHEN UNTIL SUN 26 NOV
Tjungunutja
Image Anna van Stralen
Otto Tschirn ‘Myself on Camel’ (detail), 1915-18; courtesy Ian Anderson and the Tschirn family, © Tschirn estate
IN JULY 2007 OFF THE LEASH WAS LAUNCHED ONTO THE DARWIN ARTS SCENE, a timely what’s-on-guide to the Top End full of art, music, theatre, film and community events, all featuring bold and bright covers of Territory artists, art and culture.
Recognising the important contribution made by Indigenous artists from regional and urban areas throughout Australia, The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art Awards (NATSIAA) is Australia’s longest running and most prestigious Indigenous art award.
CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY ART GALLERY
DARWIN ART TRAIL
Building Orange 12, CDU Casuarina Campus | 8946 6621 | cdu.edu.au/artgallery WED–FRI 10AM-4PM | SAT 10AM-2PM
Various locations | darwinarttrail.com.au
Kieren Karritpul, 'How my great grand mother became a weaver' (detail), 2017, acrylic on linen, 283 x 220cm
Cushions, clutch & purse, Gallery 105; image Robyn Mclean
DARWIN Art Trail
SALON17 Presented by Matt Ward of Outstation - art from art centres and Paul Johnstone of Paul Johnstone Gallery, this bold exhibition shows contemporary Indigenous art submitted, but not selected, for the prestigious National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Awards. WHEN UNTIL SAT 30 SEP
NORTHERN TERRITORY LIBRARY
Parliament House | Corner Bennett and Mitchell Street, Darwin ntl.nt.gov.au TUE, THU, FRI 10AM–5PM | WED 10AM-8PM | SAT & SUN 1–5PM
WHEN SUN 17 SEP | 10AM-4PM
DVAA
Darwin Visual Arts Association Woods Street, Darwin | 8981 9351 | dvaa.net.au | WED–FRI 12-5PM | SAT 10AM–3PM
Lak-Lak
BEFORE THE CLEARING (Vor Der Sauberung)
The colours of Laŋani Marika
Master weaver and colour dyer Laŋani Marika, the most senior elder of the Rirratjiŋu clan, imparts her colour knowledge to the generations of tomorrow in this six piece video installation by The Mulka Project of Northeast Arnhem Land. Laŋani Marika
WHEN UNTIL SUN 1 OCT
Using hand-coloured etchings, original journal entries and artefacts collected along Leichhardt’s original path, artist Simon Normand illuminates the disparity between the facts of Ludwig Leichhardt’s epic journey from Queensland through the gulf country and Kakadu to Port Essington in 1845 and what was ultimately reported.
WHEN FRI 15 – SAT 23 SEP | OPENING FRI 15 SEP, 6PM
WHEN At Info
THU 21 SEP, 5.30-8PM | VIEWINGS BY APPOINTMENT NAN GIESE GALLERY, CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY, CASUARINA alydegroot.com.au | 0416 363 950
A collection of large scale photographs playing with light and colour to create and capture form. WHEN UNTIL SAT 30 SEP
19 Conacher Street, Fannie Bay | 8981 6616 | tactilearts.org.au TUE–FRI 10AM-4PM | SAT & SUN 10AM-4PM
Connecting Life After Exploring themes of connectedness; responding to place, to each other, to the self, and a sense of experiencing the world, this exhibition represents a diverse and fluid group of local Darwin artists who come together every few years to connect and engage. Joanne Green, 'Yellow Flowers, Gunlom, # 1' (detail), mixed media
Charles Darwin University PhD student Aly de Groot’s end of candidature exhibition.
UnTransLaTable
TACTILE ARTS
POP-UP EXHIBITION
Weaving and Watching
With six private studios open to the public, the Darwin Art Trail provides an opportunity to talk with and purchase work directly from the artists – including from Debra Senjuschenko at Gallery 105 in Howard Springs. Senjuschenko is a self-taught silversmith, lamp-worker and chainmaille artist, designing modern and contemporary jewellery. Her pieces are clean yet rustic for an individual look.
WHEN FRI 22 SEP – SUN 8 OCT | OPENING FRI 22 SEP, 5.30PM
Artists Gone Wild! Territory Wildlife Park Threatened Species
This multidisciplinary exhibition showcases the diverse responses by many artists from the Artists in the Park program or by those who have been involved in the creation of community art and conservation education projects at the Territory Wildlife Park. WHEN FRI 1 SEP – SUN 17 SEP | OPENING FRI 1 SEP, 5.30PM
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NCCA
OUTSTATION
Northern Centre for Contemporary Art Vimy Lane, Parap | 8981 5368 | nccart.com.au
2/3 Parap Place, Darwin | 8981 4822 | outstation.com.au TUE 10AM-1PM | WED–FRI 10AM-5PM | SAT 10AM-2PM
WED-FRI 10AM-4PM, SAT 9AM-2PM, OR BY APPOINTMENT
NEAR LIFE EXPERIENCE
ROOTED COMPLEXITY
Cairns based ceramics artist Craig Hoy’s exhibition shows as part of NCCA’s tropical city dialogue.
Exhibition by Darwin based artist Kerry Taylor.
TONALITY IN TIME AND SPACE
DARWIN BASED SWEDISH ARTIST AND MUSICIAN Mats Undén specialises in interdisciplinary and experimental printmaking and sound/electronic art.
WHEN FRI 1 – SAT 23 SEP | OPENING FRI 1 SEP, 6PM | ARTIST TALKS SAT 2 & 16 SEP, 12-1.30PM
Pennyrose Wiggins, 'Arnhem Highway', 2017, acrylic and oil car bonnet
NeighbourHOODS Visit
ParapES I GALLER
Mats Undén, 'Gamma detail', print
NOMAD ART GALLERY
Vickers Street, Parap | 8981 6382 | nomadart.com.au MON–FRI 10AM–5PM | SAT 9AM–2PM
NGINI PARLINGARRI AMINTIYA NINGANI (PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE) A collection of new limited edition prints by several generations of artists from Jilamara Arts and Crafts Association. Drawing inspiration from the Tiwi collection at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory, the artists worked in collaboration with senior printer Basil Hall to create new limited edition prints that respond to artworks by Tiwi artists past. WHEN FRI 1 – SAT 30 SEP | OPENING FRI 1 SEP, 5.30PM Pedro Wonaeamirri, ‘Jilamara’, 2017, etching with screenprint, 49.5 x 39.5cm
FRAMED – THE DARWIN GALLERY 55 Stuart Highway, Stuart Park | 8981 2994 | framed.com.au MON-FRI 9AM-5.30PM | SAT 9AM-4PM | PUBLIC HOLS 11AM-3PM
WHEN FRI 29 SEP – SAT 4 NOV | OPENING FRI 29 SEP, 6PM
FROM HOT DUSTY JOURNEYS ALONG THE ARNHEM HIGHWAY, to views from birds in flight, a tropical humid Wet season, to a land turned black in the Dry. Pennyrose Wiggins paints our Territory neighbourhoods and the life that inhabits them onto objects that transport us to these places.
PAUL JOHNSTONE GALLERY
Harriet Place, Darwin | 8941 2220 | pauljohnstonegallery.com.au | TUE–FRI 10AM–5PM | SAT 10AM–2PM
Alfred Lalara
Last of the Dash Painters CONTEMPORARY GROOTE EYLANDT ARTIST ALFRED LALARA is one of the few who paint traditional Groote Eylandt linework. His acrylic paintings capture some of the compositional patterns of the old style as well as the Bara and Mamarika winds – stories passed down from his father. WHEN SAT 2 – SAT 30 SEP | OPENING SAT 2 SEP, 11AM-1PM above: Alfred Lalara, Untitled, ochre on arches paper, 75 x 56cm below: Alfred Lalara, 'Macassan Boat', ochre on canvas, 77 x 100cm
A CONTEMPORARY
ANTIQUITY
an
ABSTRACTED LIFE An exciting and colourful exhibition of ground-breaking new paintings on Darwin themes, including poincianas, mangroves and storms, by Darwin based artist Gaye Coyne.
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WHEN FRI 22 SEP – MON 16 OCT | OPENING FRI 22 SEP, 6.30PM
Fusing elements of the antiquity of Chinese and Indigenous creative traditions with contemporary western art, Melbourne based Chinese artist Zhou Xiaoping has developed a unique artistic style that is a model for cross-cultural communication. Zhou Xiaoping, 'Home' (detail), 2017, ink and oil on rice paper and canvas, 100 x 72cm
WHEN UNTIL WED 16 SEP
MUSIC
1970 - 2017
Dr G Yunupingu a tribute IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FATHOM THAT 10 YEARS AGO, THE WORLD DID NOT YET KNOW DR G YUNUPINGU. Before the release of his debut album he was known by fans of Yothu Yindi and dedicated followers might have been aware of his work with Saltwater Band. But it wasn’t until 2008 that music lovers beyond Galiwin’ku on Elcho Island, beyond Darwin and the Northern Territory were awakened to the music of this gentle soul.
“I was always in awe of his talent and could never understand that while he was in Saltwater Band no-one really took much notice of him, as he sat quietly playing his guitar,” says good friend Mark Grose, Managing Director of Dr G’s record label Skinnyfish Music.
Blind since birth, Dr G was born on Elcho Island in Arnhem Land in 1970. He taught himself to play guitar, playing the instrument upside down, and he sang with a voice like we had never heard before.
The raw power of his voice, singing in a language most listeners couldn’t understand, seemed to extend a generous bridge between black and white, urging on many white Australians to comprehend the immense culture he was a part of.
Dr G mastered other instruments including piano, guitar, electronic keyboard and drums. With Saltwater Band, he helped sell more than 10,000 records, playing a unique brand of Yolngu reggae and rock.
In 2008 Dr G released a self-titled album that was a revelation to many, winning two ARIAs and selling more than 500,000 copies.
“It is difficult to explain what the world sees in his music, but for me it is a connection to the land,” says Grose.
Ted Egan
NAMIUK KWARUK: 100 YEARS OF TERRITORY SONGS
WHEN SAT 9 SEP | 7.30PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $30 | $25 MEMB, CONC INFO yourcentre.com.au
“It is an expression of pure beauty that is often lost in Australian artistic expression. Non-Indigenous songwriters often paint a picture of a harsh landscape from an almost alien world. In G’s music you have soaring beauty and power. “His music presents a picture of beauty and of complexity that nonIndigenous Australians have now had an opportunity to experience. There is a deep connection between G’s music and the heart of the Australian landscape that resonates not just locally but internationally.” Top End audiences had many opportunities to see Dr G perform; he played solo at the Darwin Festival and the National Indigenous Music Awards (NIMAs), but also at countless community concerts in Barunga, Merrepen and Elcho Island.
ARIA charts in 2011. He is the most awarded NIMA artist, winning a total of five NIMA Artist of the Year awards. With his fame extending beyond Australian shores, Dr G toured to the UK for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, played with Sting and won yet more ARIAs – although they might have had more worth on Elcho island, than in a trophy cabinet. Mark Grose recalls hearing that the statuettes were very handy for chiselling oysters off the rocks at Galiwin’ku. It’s heartbreaking to contemplate that Dr G's career as a solo artist lasted a little less than a decade, and his departure has left a great void in the hearts of those who knew him, and great sadness for those who loved his music.
His second studio album Rrakala reached number three on the
For Grose, who got to know the man more personally than most, it’s Dr G’s “gentle spirit and his sense of
ED EGAN CAME TO LIVE IN THE NT WHEN HE WAS 17. He turned 85 last birthday and is still here, still going strong. Over his career he has written hundreds of songs about the characters of the Northern Territory – and this month performs Namiuk Kwaruk: 100 Years Of Territory Songs.
Who are the characters who have inspired you to write music recently? There are not as many inspirations as in former years – perhaps we are running out of characters? I have a couple of songs on the go, one about a pioneer woman of the Barossa Valley and another about Dr Gilruth, the subject of my new biography. The Gilruth song is principally aimed at getting proper pronunciation of his surname: "Tell us the truth, about Doctor Gil-RUTH".
Of the hundreds of songs you’ve written over your career is there one particular song you always look forward to performing? ‘Granny’ is a favourite and it always gets a positive response. It’s a song about Granny Lum Loy, a muchloved old Darwin woman, who came to Australia from China as a child bride aged seven and died in Darwin aged 97. She was the grandma of the first local I met when I arrived in Darwin, Ron "Hoonga" Chin. I developed the tune of the song from the principle that Eastern music is based on the black notes on the piano.
Tell us about the ‘pearling songs’ that form part of your repertoire. Why are these songs something you are so passionate about? People came from all parts of the Pacific to Darwin in the pearling days, especially from the Philippines, Malaya and Indonesia. They brought with them their work songs. The tunes of these songs became well-known around Darwin, the Tiwi Islands and Broome and while people joined in singing the tunes they often imposed phrases of their own languages. As a result there is this musical "hotch-potch" of terrific tunes with confused, often
humour and fun” that he will miss the most. “He was always one to enjoy a practical joke, especially when he was able to catch you out unexpectedly. His legacy will live on through his music and through the G Yunupingu Foundation, which was set up to foster positive outcomes through the arts for young people in remote communities. I hope his greatest legacy will be his ability to open up to the world the great beauty of his traditional culture, the culture of the Yolngu people.” Dr G passed away in Royal Darwin Hospital in July at age 46 after a long battle with illness.
Memorial Service for Dr G Yunupingu WHEN TUE 19 SEP | 11.30AM AT DARWIN CONVENTION CENTRE INFO darwinconvention.com.au
meaningless words. The songs are sung differently in Darwin, the Tiwi Islands and Broome accordingly. Your honorific name is “Namiuk Kwaruk” – who gave you this name, and what does it mean? It is an honorific bestowed by the Khungarakung people. It means "Singing Elder" and was given to me when I wrote my song ‘Alyandabu’, about the famous Khungarakung matriarch. You’re launching your book Gilruth in September – a book about the first NT Administrator John Anderson Gilruth. Why is Gilruth a Territory identity whose life you wanted to document? Gilruth has been badly treated in historic terms. He was certainly not faultless and I acknowledge many silly mistakes he made, but I also point to the fact that he had the Territory's best interests at heart and was at all times energetic, knowledgeable and innovative, and thereby deserves to be re-evaluated as the Administrator of the Northern Territory, rather than the Viceroy of Darwin.
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MUSIC NT PRESENTS
Jesse and Ella Hooper
Stevie
The
Faste Fiv
JEAN
AT THE AGE OF JUST 17, DARWIN SINGER-SONGWRITER STEVIE JEAN HAS HAD A HECTIC COUPLE OF MONTHS. Having recently topped the triple j Unearthed charts, and been named as one of the five finalists in triple j Unearthed High, she is definitely a rising star to watch.
KILLING HEIDI FORMED IN THE VICTORIAN COUNTRY TOWN OF VIOLET TOWN IN 1996, winning triple j Unearthed later that year for their tune ‘Kettle’. Two decades later, they are still making music and join Aussie music stalwart James Reyne (Australian Crawl) for One Tropical Day this Father’s Day eve. Killing Heidi’s Ella Hooper answered The Fast Five for Off The Leash. What’s the first album you ever bought? Veruca Salt’s American Thighs. I believe the money was a gift, probably birthday money, because we didn't get pocket money. And it was purchased at Sanity Shepparton, the Maude Street Mall, baby!
Tell us about your career. How did you get involved in music? My parents, while not musicians, have always been great lovers of music. Dad raised me on Zeppelin and Mum on Fleetwood Mac.
How many instruments do you play? I play the violin, guitar and the vocal chords. What made you apply for triple j Unearthed High? Unearthed High is such a wonderful platform for young artists. It was a no brainer. How did it feel when you found out that you were a top five finalists out of 1,000 entrants? Absolutely thrilled, humbled and grateful to the judges and the team who made it possible – my parents and my producers James Mangohig and Steven Smith.
If you could see any artist or band – living or dead – this weekend, who would it be? I'd kill to see Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, right now on their 40-year anniversary tour – or back in the 70s if time travel were possible. Whose posters did you have stuck to the wall as a teenager? PJ Harvey and The Spice Girls. I’ve always loved my low brow/high brow.
Ella
HOOPER
What song would you like played at your funeral? Oooh, good question. Maybe ‘Sweet Thing’ or ‘Madame George’ by Van Morrison. Finish this sentence. The thing people would be surprised to know about me… Is that I dislike showering and find personal hygiene both boring and a struggle, yet people often comment that I smell nice and that I have very soft skin - so go figure! One Tropical Day – James Reyne and Killing Heidi WHEN SAT 2 SEP | GATES 4PM AT DARWIN SKI CLUB COST $68.50 INFO dtix.com.au
And then there's making it to number one on the triple j Unearthed charts. That must have been a bit surreal? Especially at your age? Hitting number two was incredible. I expected the song to fall but when the charts were updated a week later I found myself at number one. The other finalists had also risen into the top 10, so massive props to them. Has growing up in Darwin had a big influence on your music? Living in Darwin presents a unique opportunity to pursue art uninhibited by boxes or stereotypes. What artists are you listening to at the moment? I love Icelandic band Kaleo as well as the freak folk sister duo CocoRosie. Is there anyone in the NT you’d like to collaborate with? I’m hoping to collaborate with local legends King Klass. What can we expect from you next? My main focus is writing and recording. I will have a guitar in my hands for the next six months creating an EP.
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INFO
triplejunearthed.com
WHEN SUN 24 SEP | 7.30PM AT DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE COST $69 INFO yourcentre.com.au Don Walker, Tex Perkins and Charlie Owen
AN EVENING WITH TeX, DON & ChARLIE THREE OF AUSTRALIA’S MOST ESTEEMED ROCK MUSICIANS, TEX PERKINS, DON WALKER AND CHARLIE OWEN, return to Darwin this month playing music from their latest album You Don’t Know Lonely. Pianist Don Walker, perhaps best known for his work with Cold Chisel, spoke to Off The Leash about the upcoming tour. The new album You Don’t Know Lonely is dark, gruff and melancholy, but it also feels like the darkness is a bit tongue in cheek at times. How does the album feel to you? Is it fun to perform?
We haven’t performed any of these songs in public yet, only between ourselves in Charlie’s house, and recording in studios. I don’t think it’s any darker than ordinary life, and like ordinary life it’s leavened with a bit of humour. For me, it’s always enjoyable playing with Tex and Charlie, and with Garrett Costigan, and anyone else we’ve had along with us over the years. The Cruel Sea, Beasts of Bourbon, Cold Chisel – Tex, Don and Charlie were born out of some of the most rocking acts in Australian music in
the 80s and 90s. How does a Tex, Don and Charlie tour compare to the touring days with those bands? Well, what we do together now is more like a concert than a rock show. The first show I played with Tex and Charlie, after spending my youth playing in Cold Chisel, was in a theatre. We walked out onstage and the crowd was utterly silent, and I thought ‘Jesus, they’re listening!’ and a wave of panic swept over me. I’m used to it now. But I have to be careful, because if I make a mistake they will hear it. I mostly hedge my bets by playing nothing at all unless I really have to risk it.
Is there a great Darwin or Top End gig from over the years that you will always remember? Cold Chisel played in the Botanical Gardens for the first time around 1980, and the whole hill was packed with people from communities out in the bush and from down along the coast and from the islands, dancing and picking flowers off the trees. It was beautiful. A more innocent time in some ways. We broke the attendance record that Rolf Harris had set 10 years before.
SEPTEMBER
DSO PRESENTS
Kids' Classics
Musical
Magic
DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES, THE DARWIN SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (DSO) CONTINUES THEIR SERIES OF KIDS’ CLASSICS CONCERTS THIS MONTH. On a magical musical journey, you'll explore how music can change your mood, spark your imagination, and even calm you down. It’s the power of music – and it’s just like magic! Led by DSO Concertmaster Monica Naselow, the DSO musicians will perform as a five-piece ensemble – a string quartet (two violins, viola and cello) and a big, beautiful concert harp! Playing a variety of classical music from composers including Handel, Massenet and Tchaikovsky – there’s even a piece rumoured to have been written by King Henry VII – little people and their families will learn about each piece as it is played. This fantastic series presents an opportunity to see classical music performed by highly skilled local musicians, and to learn about the instruments being played. It’s a great introduction to classical music for all ages, in an informal environment, where spontaneous dancing by children (and grownups) is encouraged! Each concert runs for approximately 45 minutes with some time for questions from inquisitive minds and will be held at the Charles Darwin University Theatre in Casuarina, and at Taminmin College in Humpty Doo. WHEN AT WHEN AT COST INFO
SAT 23 SEP | 9.30AM & 11AM TAMINMIN COLLEGE, HUMPTY DOO SUN 24 SEP | 9.30AM & 11AM CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY THEATRE $12.50/$10 ONLINE | $7/$5 CHILD | $25/$20 FAM dso.org.au
GIG guide OTL's quick and essential guide to live music in the Top End. Rock on! To find out more, head to offtheleash.net.au
/OTL.magazine
@OTLmag
Mindil Beach Sunset Market Talent Search
The good folk at Mindil Beach Sunset Market are searching for solo artists, duos and bands of any genre to perform in their showcase competition this September. With a major prize of $1000, a paid Mindil performance spot in 2018, and a Hot 100 live recording session, register your interest today for a chance to be featured at one of Australia’s most iconic markets. WHEN HEATS SUN 3, 10 & 17 SEP | FINAL SUN 24 SEP AT MINDIL BEACH SUNSET MARKET INFO mindil.com.au | 8981 3454
#OTLmag
Singing Workshop
RAILWAY CLUB
Let your voice fly with Northern NSW choir director Jessie Vintila, who brings uplifting songs from her Spanish Sing the Camino tours, including gospel, bluegrass and folk. All welcome, regardless of singing experience.
17 Somerville Gardens, Parap 8981 4171 | darwinrailwayclub.com
Lemme Smash
Smash it out, with some smashing local bands including Summit, Tapestry, 17Zero01 and The World’s Fear. WHEN FRI 1 SEP | 7PM COST $10
D Henry Fenton
Americana/pop songwriter D Henry Fenton brings his solo acoustic show to Darwin. WHEN SAT 2 SEP | 7PM COST $10
Up the Guts Tour
Longer. Dustier. Gutsy-er. Featuring Loose Tooth, Dumb Punts, Neighbourhood Youth, Jack, Jo and Joe. Enjoy a cold drink and a few laughs, before settling in for a wild night of rock and roll. WHEN SUN 3 SEP | 7.30PM COST $12.85
The Beat Festival
The NT Music School with the support of The Beat Foundation coordinates this large-scale combined-schools annual performing arts showcase.
Extreme violin virtuosity and musical fireworks combine with sensitivity and enchantment. WHEN SAT 23 SEP | 8PM COST $49 | $44 CONC | $20 U 18
An Evening with Tex, Don and Charlie WHEN SUN 24 SEP | 7.30PM COST $69
Luka Lesson and Kahl Wallis WHEN SUN 24 SEP | 7PM COST $13
Snapchat Regret WHEN FRI 29 SEP | 7PM COST $15
GENERAL LISTINGS
Yeo
6-8.30pm.
WHEN SAT 30 SEP | 7PM COST $25
WHEN FRI 1 SEP | 6.30PM
DARWIN ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
93 Mitchell Street, Darwin 8980 3333 | yourcentre.com.au
Pierce Brothers
The multi-instrumentalists return to Darwin for another energising injection of indie-pop. WHEN SAT 2 SEP | 8PM COST $40
Ted Egan WHEN SAT 9 SEP | 7.30PM COST $30 | $25 MEMB, CONC
AT
FINCH CAFÉ, KATHERINE
COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO facebook.com/thefinch cafekatherine
One Tropical Day
Will the tropical days, full of their sweet musical treats never cease? Returning to the Darwin Ski Club in September with not one but two tropical days, featuring three great Australian acts. WHEN SAT 2 & SAT 9 SEP | GATES 4PM
WHEN AT COST INFO
SUN 3 SEP | 2-5PM CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY THEATRE $40 singthecamino.com
Darwin Symphony Orchestra Kids’ Classics
Musical Magic featuring the DSO string quartet with harp. WHEN SAT 23 SEP | 9.30AM & 11AM AT TAMINMIN COLLEGE, HUMPTY DOO WHEN SUN 24 SEP | 9.30AM & 11AM AT CHARLES DARWIN UNIVERSITY THEATRE COST INFO
$12.50/$10 ONLINE | $7/$5 CHILD | $25/$20 FAM dso.org.au
LOUD AT THE LIBRARY Enjoy free live music at your local library every Friday lunchtime. WHEN EVERY FRI | 12-1PM
City Library 1 SEP
PHILIP SPENCER
8 SEP
TRACEY BUNN
15 SEP
ANDY SALVANOS
22 SEP SNEZ 29 SEP
WAYNE CRISTAUDO
Casuarina Library 1 SEP
TRACEY BUNN
8 SEP METTAPHOR 15 SEP
WAYNE CRISTAUDO
AT
DARWIN SKI CLUB
22 SEP
SCOTT MURPHY
COST INFO
$68.50 dtix.com.au
29 SEP
TRACEY BUNN
SAT 2 SEP JAMES REYNE AND KILLING HEIDI SAT 9 SEP PETE MURRAY
Hotel Darwin
Free live music from Ange Coles, Rachel Rachel and Glen Forner, plus DJs every weekend.
AT INFO
Gouldian Bar
Support live music at the Gouldian Bar with Partridge Ambulance. Bar opens 5.30pm with pizza available
WHEN EVERY FRI | 4.30-7PM AT BROWN’S MART INFO brownsmart.com.au
WHEN EVERY FRI & SAT, 6-9PM | EVERY SUN, 3-6PM
WHEN WED 13 – FRI 15 SEP | 7PM COST $30 | $23 CONC | $20 3-15YRS | $25 GROUP 10+
Alexandre Da Costa
in the final month of this popular session.
NT News Live on Fridays
Don’t miss your chance to enjoy great music in a relaxed atmosphere every Friday afternoon
HOTEL DARWIN thehoteldarwin.com.au
JAM NIGHTS AND OPEN MIC
WHEN SUN 3 SEP | 2-7PM AT PINT CLUB, MARARA COST GOLD COIN DONATION INFO facebook.com/firstsunday blues
Monday Jam Nights
Whether you’re an established or emerging artist, bring your instrument and join like-minded musos.
WHEN EVERY MON | FROM 7PM AT DARWIN COMMUNITY ARTS, MALAK COST FREE INFO darwincommunityarts.org.au
Darwin City Brass Band Rehearsals
New members and visitors welcome.
WHEN AT COST INFO
EVERY TUE | 7PM 2 ABALA RD, MARARA $10 ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP | $50 PER SEMESTER – LEARNERS’ CLASSES
darwincitybrassband.org.au
Open Mic Night By The Sea
Players of all persuasions and appreciators of live music welcome.
WHEN AT COST INFO
EVERY FRI | 7-10PM DINAH BEACH CRUISING YACHT ASSOCIATION FREE dbcya.com.au
Katherine Jam Night WHEN AT COST INFO
TUE 26 SEP | 7-9PM KATHERINE COUNTRY CLUB FREE
katherineregionalarts.org.au
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2017 Winner, Telstra Bark Painting Award, 34th Telstra NATSIAA
Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu, Lines, earth pigments on Stringybark,
WINNER
Telstra Bark Painting Award Nyapanyapa Yunupiŋu